


Seven Schools of Magic

by TheUnderrealmVoid



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Magic, Dragons, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Fantasy, Grim Reapers, M/M, Mages, Magic, Necromancy, Nymphs & Dryads, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27459706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheUnderrealmVoid/pseuds/TheUnderrealmVoid
Summary: “Did we…?”“No. No that’s stupid.”“But he was dead. Like really dead. And now he isn’t”While she said that she ruffled her hand through the dog’s fur. It was just as soft and warm as she remembered.“We didn’t...revive him. Are you even listening to yourself?”No one likes a dead dog. But maybe a ritual to bring him back from the dead is not the answer. Except when it is.Sally and Sean did not expect Snoopy to ever walk again. But not only does his soul return to his body, they immediately find themselves glitter bombed and kidnapped.Soon the twins stumble into the position of "the chosen ones" but it's not as fun as the movies make it seem.The twins have to survive an onslaught of racists, horny nature spirits and one very grumpy and borderline suicidal Fae.If things continue like this they might even be doomed to save the world
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	1. In Which A Dog Comes Back To Life

The moments before their lives changed completely were morbidly ordinary. Sean held the door open for Sally before he dropped his bag on the floor and took off his shoes.  
The day had been long. He just flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. All he wanted to do was watch cartoons or something, without worrying about homework or talking to his friends. His battery for social interaction was drained for today and he needed some time to recharge. No idea when their parents would be home but while they were gone he would enjoy his free time.  
Sally on the other hand was itching to do something. “Snoopy? Hey, Snoopy where are you?” she called and looked around for her dog. She could not spot the Jack Russell Terrier anywhere. Usually, he would have run out at her by now.  
“Snoopy. Here, boy.” She didn’t hear the pattering of small feet, no barking, nothing. “Sean, did you see Snoopy?” Her brother just shook his head so she continued her search on her own.  
The dog could not have run upstairs with his chubby little legs so she hunted for him on the first floor.  
Sally peaked into the bathroom and her parent's bedroom but was not surprised that Snoopy was not there. Instead, she snuck over to one of his favorite sleeping spots.  
Quietly she opened the kitchen door. Her face lit up when she noticed the black and white furball on the floor. But her smile dropped quickly when she noticed that Snoopy did not get up to greet her.

“Snoopy?” 

No response. Sally quickly went over to the dog and ran her hands through his fur. She gasped loudly. The skin of Snoopy was cold, so cold.  
She gently shook his shoulder, whispering his name in hopes to wake him. But she knew he was dead.  
When tears dropped onto the floor she called for her brother. He bolted from the sofa when he heard the pain and tears in her voice. He arrived in the kitchen to find Sally clutching the dead Snoopy and his stomach dropped.  
“What happened?”  
“I...I don’t know. He’s so cold, Sean.”  
“Is he hurt?”  
“No, he’s old!”  
Sally was getting angry while Sean could not wrap his head around the scene before him.

This is where any normal person would have buried the dog. Maybe called their parents? They would have grieved and forgotten the dog in a few years. Some pictures would remain of the happy times when he was still alive.  
Any sensible person would have done something like that.

But not Sally and Sean.

“Let’s resurrect him.” Sally looked at her brother as if he had lost his mind. Snoopy was 14 years old, a good old age for a dog.  
But then her mind started to spin. She was still young enough to believe in the occult. So was her brother. Maybe that is why the thought of resurrection seemed not too far fetched.  
Unfortunately, neither of them were experienced in witchcraft and necromancy so they took to the internet. They got results quickly and searched through Tumblr posts and shitty looking websites.  
Finally, the siblings found a row of promising spells and rituals. There was a website focused all around Wicca, paganism and witchcraft that seemed as legit as a website full of “real” magic could get.  
“So we are really doing this?” Sean questioned after reading through a few of the posts.  
“I at least want to try, okay? Plus, it was your idea in the first place” The sadness in Sally’s voice convinced her brother to dig deeper. Many articles about proper graveyard etiquette, Fae and tarot readings later Sean stopped at a surprisingly specific spell.

“How to revive a beloved pet” 

“This one?” he asked, pointing at the screen and looking in his sister’s direction. She nodded enthusiastically and started to read the instructions out loud:  
“It seems simple. We will need some chalk, a black candle, some salt and a bit of blood.”  
“Blood?”  
“That’s what it says.”  
Sean wrinkled his nose in disgust but decided not to comment on it. So the two of them set out. In the back of their minds, both were aware that this would not work. However, anything that distracted them from the dead dog in the kitchen was more than welcome.  
Sally rummaged through the cupboards in the kitchen to find the salt but could not find it with the other spices. In an act of desperation, she checked the fridge only to find a packet of salt sitting right behind the butter. “Who put that there?” she mumbled to herself before grabbing it.  
Her brother also had no problems with locating some chalk and the black candle. He had a chalkboard in his room and his sister had an entire shelf decorated with candles in all the colors of the rainbow. He grabbed them and returned back downstairs where Sally was already waiting for him, kitchen knife in hand.  
“What did you get that for?”  
“The blood,” Sally replied matter of factly. Sean honestly was not too fond of the thought of cutting open his hand for a necromancy ritual that would not work. However, he would play along to make his sister happy.  
“So… now we have to draw a salt circle around Snoopy and place the lit candle inside.  
"Then we have to-,” Sally squinted at the laptop and reread the instructions. “draw a door with chalk. Then we just have to drip a bit of blood on the deceased pet and… that’s it.”  
She looked at Sean who just shrugged and then went to the kitchen to grab Snoopy.  
He cradled the cold pet gently in his arms and carried it into the hallway. Most of the rooms in their house had wallpapers but the walls in the hallway were covered in tiles. So if they were going to do this, this was the only place suited to draw on the walls with chalk.  
Sean carefully laid the dog onto the floor. His sister struggled a bit with the salt before she managed to get it open and pour some of it on the ground. The circle looked more like a deflated football but it would have to do.  
“This is the best you can do?” her brother mused.  
“Well, let's hope it still works.” As soon as he said that he cringed internally. ‘Let’s hope it still works?’ made him sound like he actually believed in this. Sean looked at his sister who was completely focused on drawing a door of chalk on the wall. In the end, he was doing it for her.  
So he lit the candle and placed it next to Snoopy. He patted the dog but internally recoiled at the cold body he felt. “So, now what. Do we chant?” he could not help the sarcasm that snuck into his tone.  
“No, the spell just said to drop blood on the body and focus on the intention. That’s it.” Sally looked at the ritualistic little scene and then back at her brother.  
“Alright, so who is going to cut their hand?” Sean asked.  
“I’ll do it.”  
“Really?”  
“Oh! We should both do it. Maybe that makes it more effective.”  
Neither of them were really looking forward to the prospect of drawing blood. Sally did not hesitate as long as her brother though. She grabbed the knife and pressed it against the tip of her pointer finger. It took effort and willpower to cut into the soft flesh hard enough. Sally gasped as the smallest drop of blood seeped from her finger.  
Quickly she held it over Snoopy and watched as a drop fell and gently rolled off the dog’s fur. Sean took the knife and wiped it on his shirt before following suit and adding his blood to the spell.

There was no change.

No light, no smoke, no wind coming out of nowhere. The siblings stared down at the small lifeless body, his fur slightly bloody and a bit salty. Flames flickered over the fur on his grey snout but no demon emerged to make a pact with them. And not even a twitch from Snoopy.  
“Oh.” breathed Sally.  
Then she knelt down and gently swept the salt into a neat pile. Sean watched for a second before wiping the chalk from the wall and blowing out the candle.  
“Where do we put Snoopy?” he asked.  
“Let’s leave him here for now. I… I really don’t want to move him.” she answered while cleaning the salt off her fingers. Sean nodded and helped her get the salt from the floor. They left no trace of any spell or ritual. Only the small drops of blood in the fur remained.  
Finally, Sean led his sister to sit down in the living room and turned on the TV. No idea what they were watching but it helped to calm them both. The twins held each other and sorted their thoughts.  
“What’s her name?” Sally asked and pointed at one of the women in the TV show who seemed to be a mixture between waitress and drug dealer.  
“No idea,” Sean responded and squinted his eyes at the screen. “Wasn’t she the pirate captain in Skindeep?”  
“Maybe? Hey, can you stop?”  
“Stop what?”  
“Stop rubbing my leg, dumbass.”  
Sean looked at her confused. Then he looked down.

A wagging tail.

When Sally noticed his silence she turned her head in his direction and followed his gaze. Sean had not been rubbing her leg.  
Snoopy was the one to rub his snout against her in a loving manner. Now the dog just stood in front of them, tongue lolling out of his mouth and tail violently smacking against the coffee table.  
The twins stared. Sean blinked very enthusiastically. Sally opened her mouth multiple times but only managed to make a tiny choking noise.  
“Sean?”  
“No. No this… okay what is…”  
“Sean, he’s alive.”  
“Maybe he just wasn’t dead.”  
“He was cold. We carried him around, right?”  
Sean whimpered pathetically. His mind was racing which made him a bit dizzy. He held the dog. He felt the small creature breathe in and out rhythmically.  
Snoopy seemed to be more than confused at the twin’s refusal to pet him so he barked in frustration. Sean and Sally flinched.  
“Did we…?”  
“No. No that’s stupid.”  
“But he was dead. Like really dead. And now he isn’t”  
While she said that she ruffled her hand through the dog’s fur. It was just as soft and warm as she remembered.  
“We didn’t...revive him. Are you even listening to yourself?” Sean scoffed but his hands were shaking violently.  
When the knock on the door sounded both of them were ripped from their shocked state.  
The two exchanged a look.  
“Package?” Sally asked and got a shrug in response. Together they went to open the door without even thinking about it. Outside a man and a woman stood and looked at them quite seriously.  
Sally peeked over his shoulder and frowned. Neighbors? Before they could ask the woman stepped forwards and blew glitter in the twins’ faces.  
Sean sneezed and was ready to complain when he realized he could not move his tongue. He saw his own panic mirrored in his sister's face as his legs gave out and his vision faded to black. Before he even hit the ground he lost himself in the darkness.

Sally woke uncomfortably numb. Silence enveloped her and her heavy body. It was so quiet she could even hear herself breathe. Through the haziness, she noticed the coldness beneath her. Blinking lazily she stared at the dark grey walls. Dark grey.  
With a fuzzy feeling in her head, she sat up. Slowly she counted the rooms of her house in her head. None have dark grey walls. Sally spotted a bed nearby with a figure curled up against the wall.  
She recognized the mop of brown hair. “Sean?” she called out. He did not respond. The metal bed creaked beneath her as she forced herself to stand up.  
Her legs shook and she had to sit down. What happened? Piece by piece memories flooded her brain. Snoopy who was no longer dead. A knock on the door. And two people.  
Sally’s eyes shot open.  
Her head whipped from one side to the other. She had to confirm the horrible hypothesis that formed in her mind. She and Sean were not at home.  
Around her glistened metal walls. They were smooth and shiny with no visible cracks or scratches. Below Sally was a similarly shining metal bed with only a mattress. Sean’s seemed to be exactly the same.  
Besides the bed, the room was completely barren as well as freezing cold. Only the door right across from her bed caught her eye.  
Carefully Sally stood up. Her head was still heavy and in front of her eyes danced grey spots. Regardless she reached her brother and shook his shoulder.  
“Sean… get up. Please, you need to open your eyes.”  
Her brother grunted and turned away from her. If the situation was not as dire, she would have been amused. Instead, she just shook him again.  
Sean turned back to her, his brown locks falling in front of his eyes. “What?” he groaned before sitting up and stretching. He froze with his arms above his head.  
His shoulders went slack, his arms dropped and he turned to Sally with wide shaky eyes.  
“Where are we?”  
“I don’t know. But we need to get out.” Sally replied without a doubt in her voice. Honestly, it was the only thing she could think of.  
Then she pointed at the door, their only visible exit. The twins nodded at each other carefully and stood to stalk over to the metal door.  
It seemed thick and was only equipped with a round silvery handle. Sally tried her luck. To her surprise, the door clicked and slowly swung open.  
Sean held her back to poke his head out. Then he shrugged. No one nearby.  
With that, Sally pushed open the door completely and then stepped out of their little mental prison. Or would prison be too harsh? The door was not locked after all.  
The hallway they entered now smelled like lavender and sage. The scent reminded Sally of the church her grandma forced them to go to until they were 14. Not a positive memory for sure. A lot of old people acting holy and lots of hypocritical nonsense.  
The ceilings were high and the hallway itself was wide. On the ground, black and white glassy panels created a chessboard pattern. Strange black swirls seemed to turn on the red wallpaper.  
Then Sally noticed the voices in the distance. Both she and her brother turned to look at the door at the end of the hallway. From there they heard muffled talking.  
Behind them, the hallway ended abruptly. No other doors lined the walls. There was only one way to go.  
Sally felt nervous. She wanted to go home to her parents, to Snoopy. But the only way to possibly get back was through that door.  
Her legs shook as she tried to be as quiet as possible. Sean’s shoe squeaked and the twins froze. However, the voices behind the door just continued on.  
“Shut up!”  
“What?! Shut up my shoes?”  
“I don’t know but be quiet.”  
Sean stuck out his tongue at her but then furrowed his brows to focus on walking more carefully.  
As they approached the door the voices got louder and finally, the twins could pick up snippets of a conversation.  
“-none of your concern. You have no authority in this matter.”  
A female voice.  
“Of course. I am aware. I am only pointing out that this protocol was a part of your ‘New Age’ plan. That is why I think we should uphold it.” The new voice paused. “For tradition's sake.”  
The twins looked at each other and after forming a quiet agreement snuck closer.  
While the door was slightly ajar they decided to stay behind it despite their curiosity. They did not want to be spotted by the people who likely were their kidnappers.  
“Would it hurt?” another new voice, a deep one this time.  
“Hurt?” the woman responded with a shrill tone. “So you agree with him? I can’t believe this.”  
Footsteps angrily rapped against wooden floorboards. There was silence while the woman walked up and down before she continued.  
“Just...why should we waste time on it? Huh? We already know what school they belong to.”  
The twins exchanged a look of confusion.  
“They are talking about us, right?  
“I mean, maybe?” Sally mused.  
“Can you get a look?”  
“Why me?”  
“Just do it!”  
If only to stop their whisper match, she obliged. With her heart pounding in her hands, ears and chest she inched towards the door on her knees.  
In slow motion, her head peeked around it. Behind there was a circular room. A ring of dark wood tables. Dark grey wallpapers. Sally’s eyes wandered up and she marveled at the realization that the light pouring into the room stemmed from a glass dome high above it.  
Finally, she searched for the people who were talking. Her brain needed a few seconds to spot them. Walking towards the door. Panicked she turned to Sean, trying to wordlessly warn him but instead, the door slammed into her back.  
With a surprised yelp, Sally fell forward and dragged her brother down with her.  
The two of them turned and met the faces of three strangers.  
Staring down at them in confusion.  
Great.


	2. No One Is Happy With This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some questions are answered and the twins slip tick off a few boxes on their 'chosen ones' checklist.

The twins stared doe-eyed at the three strangers in front of them.  
The woman stood the tallest. Her hair was black interjected with silver streaks and tied up in a scalp-stretching bun. Sean recognized the robe she and the man next to her were wearing.  
Their kidnappers. The woman and man with the glitter.  
Besides the two stood another man. He looked more normal than the kidnappers and was dressed like an average office worker. The only unusual thing Sean noticed about him was the black markings on the side of his face, like black stripes that started somewhere near his ears and ended in the center of his cheek. Two on each cheek.  
“Oh, you two are awake.” spoken by the woman as if the twins were just casual guests in her home.  
Sean and Sally scrambled to their feet and tried to get some distance between them and the strangers.  
“Who are you?”  
“What is this place?”  
“Let us go. I will call the cops on you!”  
Shouting angrily at them did not seem to impress these people so eventually, Sean shut his mouth and stopped his sister as well.  
So far their kidnappers had not hurt them but that was not a guarantee for their safety.  
“Are you quite done?” the woman asked. She tilted her head at them and watched them for a few moments in silence. When she felt like she finally had their full attention, she spoke again.  
“I apologize greatly for the unfortunate circumstances that lead to your arrival. However, due to the danger you pose to everyone living in your original home it was necessary that we remove you.”  
Danger? What was that supposed to mean?  
“We aren’t dangerous!” protested Sally. The blonde man seemed to want to say something but the woman silenced him with a stern look.  
“You revived your dog, did you not?”  
The twins gave each other the side-eye. Since waking up they did not really have a chance to properly think about what happened back at home. With Snoopy. Who was no longer dead.  
“Ah, so you do remember,” a smile spread over the woman’s face. “That’s good. We were a bit concerned that the trip here might have impacted your short-term memory but that does not seem to be the case.”  
“Wait… where are we exactly?” Sean asked.  
“Oh, right. I completely forgot. Please come inside and take a seat. I will explain everything.”  
She held the door open for the twins and beckoned them inside. Sean wanted to hesitate however Sally grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room.  
The room just like the ceiling was circular. Sean sat down on the wooden chairs. This seemed to be some kind of conference room. There was no other furniture besides the chairs and tables.  
The twins sat close to each other and as far from the strangers as possible. That did not seem to bother them. Both men sat down a few chairs away from them while the woman positioned herself in front of Sally and Sean.  
“Now then, before we continue I will explain to you where you are. This place is called the Institute. It is the headpiece of a collection of specialized schools. Here there is less teaching and more planning, collecting and centralization,” she said and gave them a meaningful look.  
Then she put a hand on her chest and continued: “My name is Deidre. My husband Dagon and I are the headmasters of the Institute.”  
Nothing she said so far explained why Sean and his sister were here.  
“Specialized schools… for Necromancy?” Sean asked.  
Deidre laughed as if he had made a hilarious joke. “Goodness no. Necromancy is only one of seven schools of magic. There are seven magic studies. In the Institute we have them all combined. Therefore it is best if you stay here for now.”  
“But you can’t just keep us here,” Sally protested, clenching her fists. “That’s illegal.”  
“Plus, there is no way we revived Snoopy. He just… was not dead.” Sean added.  
Deidre sighed. Impatiently, she tapped a hand on her hip while trying to find something to say next. Listening to her talk was similar to hearing their mother trying to explain one of her senseless rules. She seemed upset at the fact that they were even questioning her authority.  
The quiet man now spoke to the twins instead. “You did revive your dog. Otherwise, we would not have even found you. An ability like that could hurt those around you. I am sure you do not want your parents to come to harm. Until you can fully control your magic it is best you stay here.”  
Sally looked at her brother. Knowing her she already had no more arguments to fight back against these weirdos but was not ready to agree with them either.  
So, Sean stepped in.  
“Let’s indulge that thought for a second. As long as we bring no one back to life, we are no danger for anyone.”  
The woman in charge groaned. “Now listen here, you two. Necromancy encompasses much more than just reviving the dead. While it is one of the weaker types of magic, it can still harm people. It could cause a zombie apocalypse for example.” Deidre’s eyes lit up as she saw the effect her words had on the twins.  
“Just you two walking past a graveyard without paying attention  
could cause the end of the world. The only reason that something like that has not happened before, is that only through reviving your dog you have opened the full potential of your magic.”  
This talk felt like it went nowhere. Sean realized that these people were insistent on keeping them here. Fine. If that kept himself and Sally out of danger, he would comply for now. Probably was the safer option anyways.  
“Alright, so now what? We overheard you talking earlier about a ‘New Age Plan’. Is that what comes next?” he finally asked.  
Deidre’s face visibly darkened before she rolled her eyes and said: “It would be appropriate it seems.” She looked pointedly in the direction of the blonde-haired man. “For tradition's sake.”

The blonde man left the room for a few minutes and returned carrying a pile of thick books. He effortlessly carried them over to the table where he placed them in front of Deidre.  
She took each of them and positioned them separately on the desks.  
Upon closer inspection, these books looked ancient. The pages were not only a dark yellow but also seemed to be as thin as nori paper, looking ready to crumble if you even looked at them too hard.  
All of the covers were ornate and in different colors. However, the books were similar. Each book had a medium-sized gem embedded in the cover and a headline written in runes. The writings seemed to be the same font.  
Sean counted seven of the books. Seven schools, seven types of magic, seven books.  
Deidre turned to the blonde man. “Since you were so insistent on doing this, you should be the one to explain this to them, Aleister.”  
So the blonde man was Aleister. Which meant that the quiet one was Dagon. Aleister’s shoulders dipped slightly at her request. Finally, he obliged and turned to the twins for the first time.  
“The ‘New Age’ program refers to several traditions integrated into the institute's schedule to be more appealing to younger mages. This particular tradition is one that was brought back from the 14th century,” Aleister grazed the covers of the books gently before speaking again. “Young mages, who were still uncertain which school of magic belonged to them, would place a hand on these artifacts. The cover reacts to the by-product magic each mage produces and lights up.”  
He looked at them through his oval glasses. The twins returned his gaze before looking down at the books. So basically when they touch the books, they would light up if they had magic.  
Sean would love to think of this as an elaborate prank but books and movies had taught him that likely no one would go this far for someone like Sally and him. So maybe…

Maybe there was magic in him.

Only one way to find out. Sean rounded the table to get a better look at the books.  
“Okay, so we just touch them?” Sally asked behind him.  
“Exactly,” Aleister confirmed.  
Sean hesitated before touching the first book. It was completely black. The stone in the center looked like smoke-filled glass. He rested his finger on the cover for a few seconds. Nothing happened. Sean looked towards Aleister, was he doing this right?  
The blonde man nodded curtly. So he moved on to the next book. Which one was the Necromancy book? He had figured it would be the black edgy looking one but apparently, that was not it.  
The next book had something to do with nature. Vines were imprinted into the cover. The stone was a milky white. Sean reached out. As soon as his fingertips touched the book it lit up. His whole hand began to tingle as the cover of the book rippled like water and shone like a lightbulb.  
Quickly he pulled his hand away. The light faded. That was not normal. Magic. Right?  
“That…” Aleister mumbled but was quickly quieted down by Deidre who said with her voice shaking: “Impossible. That is… how did you do that?”  
Sean turned around to them. Was that not exactly what they had wanted to happen? Sally’s face mirrored his own when she asked: “But you said the book would light up. Why is that impossible?”  
“Because that is not the book for the School of Necromancy,” Dagon explained. His face had remained entirely neutral.  
Sean looked back down at the book and then towards Aleister. “Which book is it?”  
The blonde-haired man glanced at the book cover but it seemed like he did not even have to.  
“It’s of the School of Mother Nature. Users of this magic can control the flora around them and make quite talented healers.”  
“But doesn’t that contradict the Necromancy thing?” Sean responded.  
“It’s not the contradiction that’s concerning,” Deidre said. She frowned deeply, staring the green book down as if it would spit out some answers if she just looked intently enough. “There are no recorded instances of a mage possessing more than one type of magic.”  
The headmistress stared into nothing before she looked at the twins. She surveyed both of them with a curious gaze. As if she had just realized something about them.  
“So, which one is the Necromancy one then?” Sean asked. Deidre scanned the books before grabbing one with a grey cover. Then she held it out for him to grab.  
But Sally was faster. She snatched the book and delighted in seeing it starting to glow. Her smile was wide and the shimmering of the cover reflected in her eyes.  
“Holy-” Sally proclaimed but seemingly stopped herself at seeing Deidre raising an eyebrow.  
Sean in turn held out his hand and his sister handed the book to him. The cover kept shining. Should leather be able to do that? Probably not.  
“So, this means that we are Necromancers, right? But wait,” Sean put the book back down and looked at the other ones which were still lined up. “Does this mean that Sally also has another type of magic?”  
“Most likely,” Deidre said. She fixed Sally with her gaze and then beckoned with her hand towards the books. Sean’s twin now went around and touched each of them.  
He saw the worried twinge in her brow grow as none of the books glowed. Why would he have more than one type of magic and not her as well?  
His worries were alleviated when one of the covers finally reacted to her.  
“What does this one mean,” she asked as she picked up the book.  
“That is the book of the Musical Craft,” Deidre said. Musical Craft. Sean could not shake the memory of his sister tormenting him day and night with the constant flute music coming from her room. Fantastic.  
“Well, then it’s pretty good we did this, right?”  
“What?” Deidre asked a little disgruntled in Sally’s direction.  
“If we didn’t do this whole,” she makes a vague hand motion, “New Age thing, we wouldn’t have known that we have more than one type of magic.”  
Deidre opened her mouth, then closed it again. Most of her confidence had seemingly left her body and only to be replaced with resignation. A common occurrence around the twins.  
“That… seems to be the case. This also means-” Her eyes became distant again before settling once more on the twins. No longer a glare, but curious. “Your teaching will be difficult. There are no other mages with the same… condition. Therefore we will have to get a bit creative.” Deidre taps her fingers against each other, thinking.

“Aleister could teach them.”

All eyes snap towards Dagon. Sean had almost forgotten he was there.  
“What?!” Deidre and Aleister sputtered simultaneously. One sounding angrier than the other.  
“You can’t seriously… do you really expect this-” Deidre looked at Aleister like others might look at a piece of moldy toast. “ **-him** to teach these two? Impossible.”  
“Aleister has acquired knowledge about all types of magic during his time here. Also, he knows the library best and will be able to help them with their initial training. Later, we can get more specialized teachers for them.”  
“I didn't know you could talk this much.”  
“Sally!” Sean hit his sister's arm. While she sulked and rubbed the affected area he turned back to the adults in front of him. This was a lot to process.  
Why did Deidre hate Aleister so much? The way she talked about him made it seem like there was something wrong with the blonde-haired man. He seemed normal besides those eye-catching tattoos on his face.  
Aleister cleared his throat. “I could… I agree with Dagon. Their initial spells will be textbook magic. I am able to assist with that. Additionally,” Once more he adjusted his glasses and slightly raised his chin before turning towards Deidre “since you have canceled my Aldrea research project I have a lot of time on my hands.”  
Deidre looked like she wanted to say something. Or rip Aleister's throat out. In the end, she settled on looking at him in disgust. What was her problem?  
“What do you two think?” She turned towards the twins. “Would this be… a satisfactory arrangement for you?”  
Sean exchanged a look with Sally. She looked at Aleister and then at Deidre. Finally, she shrugged. There was no point in asking them. They still had no idea what was going on.  
“Um… sure. As long as someone gives us some more information.” Sean said.  
Deidre nodded and turned to Aleister. “Take them now. Focus not on the spells, start with history perhaps,” She glanced over at the twins with that piercing gaze of hers. “They are not from here after all.”

Aleister walked fast. The twins had trouble keeping up with the stride of his long legs. Why was he in such a rush? He had not spoken a single word to them after Deidre officially assigned him as their teacher and had just gestured for them to follow him.  
Finally, he stopped in front of two huge doors. They spread almost up to the ceiling and had intricate pictures and swirls carved into the wood. Sally traced the line in fascination but Sean just wanted to know what was behind it.  
“Behind there lies the library. Do not…” Aleister paused. “Wash your hands before touching the books and return them to their respective shelves once you are done with them,” Aleister said. Then he pushed open the doors.


	3. Books... So Many Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins venture into the Institute's library and finally get some answers

The smell of paper that poured from behind the doors was intense. Sally resisted the urge to sneeze at the thought of thousands of small dust particles finding their way into her nose.  
Hidden behind those double doors lay a snug library illuminated by the setting sun shining in from two gothic style windows. The light caught in some colorful glass shard mobiles hanging from narrow wooden platforms above them. In between the windows stood a spiral staircase leading upwards.  
Sally looked up as she noticed the second floor of this library. The platforms above them turned out to be the walk space of the second floor.  
Bookshelves upon bookshelves lined their way as they followed Aleister deeper into the room. He turned his head to check if they were still there before telling them to sit down at a table conveniently positioned in the center of the library. Aleister did not look happy about them being here.  
Sally watched him disappear behind a door to their left. She then turned to her brother. Now that it seemed like they had a moment alone, many thoughts were racing through her head that she needed to get out.  
It was still hard to understand what was going on. Well, she did understand why they were here or at least the reasons Deidre named. But this whole mess happened too fast. Snoopy dying, coming back, Sally and her brother getting kidnapped and now magic?  
“What do we do now?” she whispered in Sean’s direction.  
His eyes darted towards the door Aleister just disappeared behind before he leaned closer to her.  
“I don’t know yet. I don’t know if we can believe them. It… they don’t seem like they want to hurt us. So, for now, we lay low and do what they say.” Then he hissed: “Think before you say anything. Or let me talk for a while.”  
Yeah, that was not going to happen. Sally rolled her eyes at Sean before she turned back to the side door as Aleister returned. In his hands, he balanced two small packages wrapped in cloth on top of a big leather-bound book.  
Without saying anything, he placed the book in front of them. He pinched the fabric of one of the packages and lifted it as carefully as if it were glass. He placed it in front of Sean. The other one he handed in the same manner to Sally.  
She opened it. No way. She looked at Aleister. Was he serious? His face did not show any sign of emotion.  
“Usually the Institute does not include weapons as part of the basic equipment but Deidre figured that the two of you are an exception.”  
“But why daggers?” Sean asked perplexed, turning the silvery blade in his hands. Sally honestly did not care. The dagger felt so nice in her hand. It was heavy with a leatherbound hilt. Runes were etched along the center of the blade. Could she ask Aleister what they meant?  
“Iron daggers are the most effective method you have at defending yourself for now.”  
“Defend ourselves from what?!” Sean’s voice became more agitated and finally, Sally tore her gaze away from her new weapon.  
Aleister did not answer. He opened his mouth, then he paused and just slightly shook his head. Instead of explaining, he pushed the book towards them.  
“In here are some of the basics of Necromancy. I will see if I can find some more. There are not too many books of this particular school around. In the back-” He pointed at the bookshelves closest to the spiral staircase. “-you will find literature concerning any of the other types of magic. However,” He nodded towards the shelves in the front. “Basic subjects like History and Politics can be found there. Deidre wanted you to focus on them.”  
Then Aleister grabbed some loose paper from the table and carefully stacked it. “If you need me, I will be in my office.”  
The man turned and quickly disappeared from sight.  
Sally and her brother were left alone in their confusion.  
“What the fuck?!” exclaimed Sally, throwing her head back in frustration.  
“Yeah, no joke.” Sean rested his head on the table, his energy now fully depleted. From behind the side door, Sally heard Aleister talk to himself but it was too quiet to understand.  
“Right, so now what?”  
“I don’t know,” Sean responded.  
“We need to do something.”  
“Do we? We have no idea what is even happening.”  
“Well, sitting around won’t help us figure everything out.” With that, Sally got up from the table. She wrapped the dagger back up in the cloth and slid it into her pant pocket before setting out to find some answers.  
They were surrounded by knowledge after all. And magic! She wanted to figure out how to do spells. Firstly though, it might be better to find out where exactly they were. Maybe then the twins could find a way home.  
So, she went to the front part of the library. Carefully she stepped around some books piled on the floor. Otherwise, the library seemed quite neat. But the books also seemed a lot older than the ones in other libraries.  
There was that one near their house. Next to a rundown Italian restaurant. The twins stopped by that library occasionally to borrow some manga. In comparison, the books here seemed older than the twins and way too brittle to touch.  
Sally wiped her hands on her shirt before starting to browse the covers.

“Mabaca Bugrin and the five-year war”

“The Epic Siege of Mage Kind”

“Annals of the Ancient War”

“A History of Magic”

She paused at the last one. Covered by rough red leather, this book seemed to be newer than the ones surrounding it. Sally jiggled it around before she could safely retrieve it from its snug spot on the shelf.  
On the front of the cover, golden indentations formed the title once more. In smaller letters below, stood the book's author.  
“Dagon Thantra.” read Sally. Dagon. The quiet man. One of her kidnappers wrote this book. Unlike Deidre, he did not seem interested in the twins too much. He also did not glare at them.  
Sally took a look at the first page. First, there was only a block of black. She frowned. Why do these books always use the smallest font size? She focused and was able to make out the first words.

“No one knows-”

She read the next few but forgot and had to reread them twice.  
“No one knows where mages originated from.”

Slowly she progressed down the page. It required all of her focus to make sure that the letter did not get away from her.

“No one knows where mages originated from. The first recording we have of our ancestors wandering the world are runic stones found in a river, estimated to be from the year 12 of the 1st century.”

“What are you reading?”  
Sean had quietly appeared behind her and was now peering over her shoulder. Sally gave up trying to focus and handed the book to her brother with a resigned sigh.  
“It’s a history book. Dagon wrote it.”  
“Deidre’s husband?”  
“Those two are married?!”  
“Well, she definitely isn’t married to Aleister.” Sean joked.  
Finally, it clicked. Deidre did mention that she and her husband were the heads of the Institute. Sally had failed to connect that name to the tired face of kidnapper number two. But who could blame her? Those two did not act like a married couple at all.  
After Sean was done making fun of her he went back to the table and started skimming the book. Sally followed him. She listened for noises from the side door, but there was only silence.  
“Okay, so the first chapter is all about the early history of mages. The first mages appeared in the first century.” Sean scoffed. “Not much is known about it… oh! Here it says that the first type of magic was called Shadow Craft.”  
“Ooh, that sounds interesting. What does that do?”  
Sean scanned the page again.  
“Doesn’t say. But, all types of magic are derived from that one through experimentation. Pretty nasty stuff.”  
Then he showed her one of the book’s illustrations.  
“Ew. Why would you make a woodcut of that?” Sally wondered and tried not to focus on the very detailed guts hanging from the stomach of the lady portrayed. Like snakes curling all around her limbs and her face which was a mask of terror and pain. Reminded her of some illustrations from her school books.  
“Beats me,” Sean shrugged. “I’ll see what the next chapter is about to see if there is anything important. Could you check out the shelves in the back Aleister mentioned while I do that?”  
Immediately Sally got to her feet. Now that sounded like something fun to do.  
“Gotcha. I will let you know when I find something,” she said and dashed away.  
None of the shelves were labeled. Aleister probably did not need that. If this was his library, he likely knew where everything was. But Sally did not.  
She skimmed a few of the titles. However, none of them immediately stuck out to her. No spell or potions books. There were way too many book covers to check.  
How much reading would magic entail? Deidre did tell Aleister to only cover the basics with them but there were books on every imaginable subject.  
History, Politics, Philosophy, even Biology… How come no one has found this magic society yet? Where even was the Institute? Sally turned to ask her brother where they could find something like this but he was intently studying the history book, so she decided to find out more on her own.  
Sally's gaze landed on the spiral staircase.  
What kind of books could be kept up there? Secrets, perhaps. So she crept upstairs. Aleister did not tell them not to go up there… so it should be fine.  
The upper part of the library was more well lit than below. Big windows framed the two book walls stretching to Sally’s left and right.  
Then she gasped in delight as she realized there was a bridge. How cool is that? A curved wooden bridge, wide enough for two cozy looking armchairs and a small coffee table to be placed on it, connected one part of the wooden walkway to the other.  
She might not be much of a reader but Sally loved reading spots. Whether it was a wooden bench in a flowery garden or cushions on a windowsill, special reading spots were something she had a deep appreciation for.  
Then she noticed Aleister.  
He had been staring at her for a few seconds now probably. The blonde-haired man stood with an open book in his hand and looked as guilty as if he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.  
“How…?” Sally’s brain felt a little fried as she tried to figure out how he had gotten up here. There was only one staircase. So how was he able to get up here before her?  
“Are you looking for something specific?”  
“Huh?” She finally snapped out of her confused daze.  
Aleister closed his book and slowly turned to her.  
“What are you looking for up here?” he then said, his tone starting to get a bit impatient.  
“I mean I was looking for a map but… how did you get up here so fast?”  
Aleister fiddled with the book he was holding, seemingly unsure about what to do with his hands. Finally, he made up his mind and put it back on the shelf.  
“I am a Fae.”  
“What?” Sally asked.  
The man groaned quietly and then walked towards her. His pace was fast and she took a step back. But he did not go and attack her. Instead, he paused in front of the shelf closest to her and grabbed a small black book.  
So far this was the thinnest book Sally had seen. It looked more like one of her school folders instead of an actual book. Only a few pages were pressed between the flimsy black cover.  
Without a word, it was handed to her. “The History and Nature of the Fae” Sally read aloud and then looked up at Aleister.  
He peered at her through his glasses before he said: “Magic is not the only thing from your fantasy books that is real.”

Half an hour later Sally shouted for her brother. She heard his steps thump up the stairs and soon after he stepped up beside her, grasping a small pile of books to his chest.  
There was an excited gleam in his eyes. It seemed like she was not the only one who had information to share.  
He spotted her sitting in one of the armchairs on the bridge and went to join her. His books thumped as he set them down on the table and readjusted them so all of the edges lined up.  
“Everything okay?” he asked.  
“Listen to this,” Sally said and placed one finger back on the page of the book that rested in her lap.“Due to their mischievous and sometimes dangerous behavior, it is important to be aware of the presence of Fae around you. They are most easily recognized-” Sally raised a finger to make sure her brother properly paid attention to this part. “-by the four black stripes on their face. There are two on each cheek.”  
“You’re joking.” was the first thing her brother could mutter.  
Sally’s smile grew even wider as she continued her explanation. “He gave me this book. He somehow managed to get upstairs before me without even leaving his office. And this staircase is the only way to get up here.”  
She waited for the information to settle. Aleister was not human. Far from it. Sally had a vague memory of Fae lore. But the book Aleister gave her contained a whole lot of information.  
After struggling with the text for a while, she got some actual answers out of it. Fae did not come from this world, but from a place parallel to here. They had a reputation for stealing children and tricking strangers to be forced to stay with them.  
Among other things, the Fae could disguise and transform themselves into various animals and in some cases even other humanoid creatures.  
It was a shame that the book spent more time demonizing the Fae than actually explaining more about their powers and history. 40 pages later, Sally ended up having more questions than before.  
She disclosed all of this to her brother who sucked up the information like a dry sponge.  
“Aleister does not seem like the type to kidnap children,” remarked Sean while flipping through the book for the third time.  
“Pretty sure not everything this book says is true. It doesn’t say who wrote it but whoever it was, they really did not like the Fae.”  
Sean nodded in agreement.  
Then his head shot up. “Right, I just remembered!”  
He put the Fae book aside and grabbed the pile that he brought upstairs with him. “I found something you should look at,” he said and handed one of his books to his sister.  
“Spells. There are spells in these books. They are not fully fledged spell books but… here. Skip to page 71.” Sean said.  
The book he gave her was called: “Discover The Music: Why Every Day Is A Song” This one was filled with colorful illustrations and otherwise consisted mainly of sheet music. On page 71 Sally found instructions. Instructions on how to create a sound that would shape air into a visual and auditory illusion.  
Her eyes went wide and she looked at her brother. His smile was proud and he opened his mouth to say something when there was a crashing downstairs.  
The sound of splintering wood shot through the entire library and the twin flinched in shock almost simultaneously. Sean got up from his seat but Sally quickly pulled him back down and assumed a crouching position.  
A cascade of wooden pieces collided with the floor before there was a moment of silence. And then a voice sounded, echoing from the walls and crawling up Sally’s spine before reverberating violently in her head.

**“Where are you, little mages?”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: The glass shard mobiles in the library were made by Aleister. In some pieces of lore Fae really enjoy collection shiny things, which is such a cute idea that I decided to incorporate it in the story.


	4. An Intruder In The Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins have to survive the creature who just burst into the library.

Sean could not help but hold his breath. He was not entirely sure if it was because of the thing downstairs or his sister lying on top of him with her full weight.  
She was right of course. How could his first instinct have been standing up? It was good that his sister stopped him. Whatever was down there was not right.  
No normal person could just burst through wooden doors like that. Sean had helped to push them open. Those were sturdy doors. At least they were before the intruder downstairs had turned them into firewood.  
Sean thought back to what Sally had just told him. Aleister being something inhuman. So if that was true why not monsters as well? If fairies and unicorns were real then why not the nightmares that hide under the beds of children?  
They had to get off the bridge. Right now the armchairs covered them from the intruder but if he were to walk under it he would only have to turn around and they would be spotted.  
Listening closely Sean realized that whoever was down there had stopped moving. He noticed his sister scooting forward, trying to inch past the legs of one of the armchairs next to them to get a look down but he grabbed her arm and stopped her.  
Then he heard a door open.  
The twins exchanged a look. Together they listened to the fast and angry sounding footsteps of Aleister pass below the bridge before stopping.  
“Who are you?” Aleister asked, sounding annoyed. If Aleister was not scared maybe this was not so much of a big deal.   
“I know they gave the small mages to you, Aleister.” The voice of the man downstairs was deep and rumbling, seemingly echoing from everywhere.  
Sally managed to inch past the chair without him noticing. She peered down and then gestured for Sean to join her.  
He did not want to. His guts were twisting violently, his hands trembled. Whatever was down there was bad. He did not want to see it. But Sally grabbed his arm and pulled. To avoid noise he obliged, hoping that the intruder downstairs had not noticed their little squabble.  
First, he spotted Aleister. The blonde-haired man stood with his back to the twins and his arms crossed in front of his chest.  
“How do you know my name?” he hissed icily, his shoulders visibly tensing.

Then Sean saw the intruder. 

Darkness. That is what he was. This man...this THING, was like a shadow incarnate. He was taller than Aleister and oozed black steam. Wooden splinters speckled the ground ahead of him as he slowly walked towards the librarian.  
This creature was merely a silhouette. Small clouds of black steam rose steadily from his arms and legs. Like glowing light bulbs, there were eyes in a nonexistent face.  
Those slivers of lights narrowed at Aleister.  
“That does not matter now. Hand the mages over and I will spare you.” Another step towards Aleister. The librarian had yet to move a muscle.  
Sean’s heart pounded wildly. Why was this creature looking for them? The shadow tilted his head at Aleister.  
“Who sent you?”  
And what in the world was Aleister thinking? He had yet to call for help or at least try to run. Perhaps he really was not human and had an ace up his sleeve.  
“No one did. But I know the Spider will let me back into his ranks if I bring him these two. I can smell them.” Like a bleeding gash, a new slit of light appeared on the face of the shadow. A mouth. “Their magic is stinking up the place. I do not know how you do it,” he said and took another step towards Aleister while running a coal-colored hand along a row of books on the shelf next to him.  
“How can you stand it?” The creature twisted his head to an impossible angle. No bones cracked, there was only the raspy breath of the beast. “Groveling in front of them. Is that all you are good for? Well-”  
He did not finish that sentence. The shadow lunged forward unexpectedly, his claws sharp and aimed at Aleister’s face. From his mangled throat came a raspy cry.   
Aleister was gone.  
Sean pressed a hand over his mouth to calm his breathing. Where was he? Similarly confused the shadow swayed left to right before shrieking loudly and ramming his shoulder against one of the bookshelves to topple it over.  
Sean felt his sister flinch as the shelf collapsed with a loud clatter before breaking into pieces. How has no one heard this yet? Or more importantly, when would someone save them?  
Then Sean’s ear picked up a noise. At first, he thought it was more of the shadow’s destruction but for that, it was too quiet. Before he could figure it out, a small bird landed right in front of him.   
He had to suppress a surprised scream at the ball of hazelnut-colored feathers landing so close to his face that he almost went cross-eyed to look at it.  
“Where are you?!” roared the beast right below them.  
Sean looked at the bird. Remembered what Sally told him.   
Streaks of white danced on the bird’s wing feathers. It inched towards the edge of the bridge, its tiny head peeking carefully down.  
“Aleister?” Sally’s question was barely louder than a breath. Sean shot her a warning glare but he did not have to. The creature below had decided to run rampant instead of waiting for Aleister to show himself and had begun to rip apart some of the books.  
Sean watched as the bird ruffled its feathers and let out a shrill chirp. In his ears, it sounded angry. An angry bird. The books. So this little creature really was the librarian?  
An absurd thought. But then the bird looked at him. It hopped up and down in rapid succession, clacking its small talons onto the wood of the bridge. A gesture that was too deliberate. Aleister was trying to tell them something.  
“You want us to stay here?” Sally guessed behind him. Meanwhile, by the sounds of it, the shadow had decided to stop ripping the books apart and began to eat them instead.  
The bird chirped.  
“Was that a yes?” Sean’s question was not answered as the little feathered librarian decided to take off and sail towards the ravenous shadow.  
It did not take long for the bird to be spotted. “There you are!” The triumphant roar made a shiver run up Sean’s spine. Carefully the twins crawled closer to the edge to get a better look.  
Below them, the shadow and the bird, Aleister, were facing off. From the claws of the beast rained tiny paper shreds. Tons of probably ancient knowledge ripped apart by the blind hatred of that thing.  
The shape of the monster had changed. Like a barely contained fire, some of his darkness leaked out through unseeable seams. He stood hunched, huffing with a silvery substance dripping from his sliver of a mouth.   
Aleister did not hesitate for long. With a chirp, he gained a bit more height before laying his wings down flat against his body. Rapidly downwards he shot. The movement was almost too fast for Sean to follow.  
Without hesitation, Aleister shot straight through the shadow’s face. Like water being disturbed by a rock the face of the beast splattered liquid darkness. Some of it left splotches of black against the nearby book rows.  
Aleister exited through the back of his head and shook the darkness off his wings effortlessly. The shadow screeched and blindly clawed at the air. Bird-Aleister swerved away from this attack and perched himself on one of the collapsed shelves.  
Sean looked back at the shadow. His face had regenerated. Only the steady dripping from his cheeks bore evidence of the damage he had just taken.   
“Filthy changeling,” came the guttural growl from the glowing mouth. Then he lunged again. No more blind rage. Claws outstretched, dripping black blood onto the ripped paper on the ground he tore into the librarian.  
Or maybe he would have. Small and nimble Bird-Aleister fluttered off quickly to the second floor. He turned his head to the twins before sailing downwards again. Landing on a different bookshelf. Behind the shadow.  
Like a game of tag, this continued. Aleister would charge the shadow’s face, limbs and torso. Tearing open more and more of whatever contained the creature’s blood. In return, the shadow would try and fail to lunge at him.  
More and more bookshelves fell to their infernal chase, leaving only ripped covers and ripped-up pages in their path.   
“When are they coming to help us?” Sally whimpered behind him. It took Sean a second to realize that she was talking about Deidre and Dagon.  
By now, everyone in this whole building had to know what was happening here. So where were the reinforcements? Sean was sure that Aleister could not keep up this chase forever.  
“We should try and get away,” Sean whispered, unable to tear his eyes from the fight.  
“What?!” Despite having to whisper Sally’s voice was shrill with panic. “That’s a stupid plan. How do we even do that?”  
Sean turned to her as slowly as he could. Aleister and the shadow were fighting near the entrance for now. However, in the past ten minutes, they had been all over the library. Destroying it in the process.  
Shattered shelves and piles of books were all over the ground. Offering cover.  
“If we go down now we can hide over there,” Sean pointed at two bookshelves that had fallen over each other near the spiral staircase. “We need to get out. Then we can get help.”  
Sally still did not seem convinced so he added: “The only reason Aleister is still fighting is to protect us from that thing. If we are out of the library, he can also get away.”  
His sister’s eyes shot to Bird-Aleister who was dodging another set of blows from the shadow. She turned back to Sean and nodded.  
They had to move fast. On his stomach, Sean pulled himself off of the bridge and carefully crawled forward. With the speed of a slug, he moved past the only untouched shelves remaining in this library. Another reason to get away. It was only a matter of time before the creature downstairs would check up here for the twins.  
“What have the mages ever done for you?! Why are you betraying your brothers and sisters for this scum?”  
The growling below sounded more and more agitated. Sean was now able to grab ahold of the staircase’s railing and pull himself closer. As quietly as possible the twins proceeded downstairs.  
Behind the fallen shelves they took cover. Sean rested his hands on the ground and felt it vibrating lightly. Blood rushed at high speed through his body, lighting his entire being on fire.  
He flinched when a hand landed on his back. Sally looked at him wide-eyed, her face just as pale as his felt.  
A shrill chirp made Sean’s head shoot around. With shaking legs he peaked over their makeshift cover.   
Near the destroyed door frame stood the shadow. Tension still hung heavy in the air but the sounds of destruction had ceased. Sean could not hear the bird’s wings fluttering anymore. That sound had been replaced by angry chirping.  
Sean spotted Aleister. His feathers stuck out between the clawed fingers of the shadow. The fingers were moving as Aleister struggled violently against his containment. Breathing heavily and still dripping darkness the shadow squeezed.  
The smile of the beast lit up the entire lower half of his face as his fist produced quiet popping noises. Sean almost cried out when he recognized the sound as tiny bones breaking.  
“Pathetic,” scoffed the shadow, his glowing eyes fixed on his hand. He opened it, tilted his head at its contents and flung it across the library. Sean watched as the brown lump of feathers sailed past him and landed near Sally’s foot with a quiet thud.  
Sally stifled a startled breath. Aleister was moving. His formerly brown feathers had turned slightly black with blood. For the first time, Sean realized how small of a bird he was. Aleister-Bird pulled his small talons below his belly and rose.   
He stretched his wings. One he failed to unfold completely. Small beady bird eyes wandered from the crooked wings towards the twins in hiding. Aleister seemed to pause before turning his head towards where the shadow was.  
“Now then, the two of you should come out of hiding. I don’t want to harm you.” Despite the soft words, the voice of the creature shot out of his throat with a growl.  
Aleister shook his feathers. Then he puffed up. No. Sean realized that the small bird was growing. A pulsing went through the wings and body, expanding it.  
Some of the quills lost their hold and soundlessly fell off of Aleister. The unharmed wing stretched itself out, getting longer and losing more feathers. Instead of chirping the bird opened his beak to release a pained breath.  
Sean watched as Aleister returned to his original form in a matter of seconds. The shadow threw over another shelf in the distance. He was getting impatient.  
Aleister used his right arm to gesture for them to stay put. His left arm hung limp at his side, his sleeve bulging at his forearm. Broken, Sean realized.  
Then Aleister stood. “Have you not inflicted enough damage on my library?” How was he still going? He made his voice sound as if his arm and probably his ribs as well were not completely crushed.  
“We have to help him,” hissed Sally as she watched Aleister walk towards the creature. His sister dug her hands into her pocket and pulled out the small package containing her dagger. Sean's own weapon was burning a hole into his pocket as well.  
He wanted to do something. So far Aleister seemed to be the most reasonable of the three people they had met in this place so far. Unlike Deidre, the librarian did not care too much about the twins and what they were doing here. And yet he was still protecting them against this creature. By the looks of it, he might even be willing to give up his life for them.   
In a few hours, Sean’s entire perspective on life had been twisted. He did not know how much of what they told him was true, no idea who he could trust. But he did not want Aleister to die.  
Slowly Sean rose to his feet. The muscles in his legs trembled so he gladly accepted the helpful hand his sister extended to him. In her other hand, she held her dagger. Sean almost dropped his when he tried to fumble it out of his pocket.  
But then they were ready. The twins had never used a knife to cut something other than potatoes before. Sally was the only one who had ever even been in an actual fight which did not end well for her.  
However, their shaking legs still carried them forward. Aleister stood with his back turned towards them. He barely blocked the lower half of the shadow from their view. So it was no surprise when the creature spotted the twins inching closer to him behind the librarian.  
The glowing orbs in the shadow’s face widened and started to twirl in an almost hypnotic manner. “Ah, how nice of you to join us. I’m ready to wrap this up,” cooed the creature, his voice grating in Sean’s ears.  
Aleister clenched his fists but did not turn around to look at the twins. “Don’t lose focus now, shadowling. You have not won yet.” The librarian did not even have a weapon.  
Noting this, the shadow let out a husky giggle. “Very well. If you want to die so desperately, I will oblige.”  
He rose to his full height, his head almost hitting the wooden walkway of the library's second floor. With a snarl, his right claw shot towards Aleister.  
It looked almost easy when the librarian dodged. Finally being able to see Aleister’s face, Sean was baffled by the bored expression on the man's face. How was he still so calm?  
Aleister dodged another attack. Instead of slicing open the man’s chest, the shadow ripped a deep wound in the remains of a nearby shelf. An annoyed huff came from the beast before it slashed again.  
From the corner of his eye, he spotted movement. Sally was wide-eyed and hunched over as she crept closer forward. In her hand glinted her dagger. Light reflected off the blade and drew quivering lines on the ground. She was shaking badly.  
Sean looked from her to the shadow. He had his back turned to them. Like ice, realization shot through his veins. He shook his head urgently, panic threatening to suffocate him. They might have come out from their cover to attack but he did not want it to happen now. He was not ready.  
But Sally was. She turned her gaze from him to the shadow up ahead who was still trying to slice Aleister. He was moving quickly and would turn around again sooner or later. So this was probably their only chance.  
Sally’s shoes dragged on the floor. He wanted her to be quiet. What if she alerted the creature now? The shadow growled and for a second Sean’s heartbeat drowned out the sounds of the fight. But Sally remained unseen. The creature had only failed to hit Aleister again.  
Without any weapon, the librarian could not fight back. Sean saw the blonde-haired man whip around quickly, his arms and shoulders peaking out for a few seconds from behind the shadow as he dodged another attack.  
Distracted by Aleister, Sean almost missed the moment his twin sister attacked. But he saw it. His sister had always been the wilder one of the two. Hyperactive and easily distracted but still one of the only people who truly mattered to him. And now there she was. Raising her dagger to stab a being made of darkness.  
From above her head, she forced the blade down, ramming it into where a human’s spine would have been. With a sound like stabbing a bag of flour, the dagger pierced the shadow who let out a pained cry.  
Sean shot forward, grabbed his sister's arm and pulled her back right before the shadow shot around and flung his claw in her direction. Sally screamed and tumbled backward, dragging her with him. He managed to stabilize her and prevent them from crashing to the ground.  
“You little…” The shadow’s voice was only a feral growling now, his shoulders twitching and shaking as he moved towards her. “I will end you.”  
Blackness poured from the creature’s wound and left a wet trail behind him as he tumbled closer. The dagger had really injured him. Aleister’s bird attacks were nothing in comparison to what this dagger could do.  
But that would not help them much. Paper crunched under their feet as they retreated, trying to keep as much distance as possible between them and the beast.  
To no avail. Before he could even process what was happening Sean already watched the shadow descend on his sister. Darkness clouded his peripheral as the shadow lunged past him, claws outstretched to rip Sally to pieces.  
He had no chance. His dagger was in his hand but he could not even lift it before his sister screamed.  
There was a shallow breath. That was not Sally. A body hung pierced on the demon’s clawed hand. Blood dripped onto the floor, joining the mass of blackness and ripped paper and shredded wood.  
But it was not Sally’s.  
Aleister placed his hands firmly on the shadow's arm. An arm that was stuck in his abdomen. The librarian's shredded vest already began to grow dark and sticky with blood. Both Aleister and the creature let out a breath.   
Past Aleister’s spine the demon turned his wrist. The creature’s smile was frozen and the two eyes seemed to drink up the pain in Aleister’s face.  
Then he lifted his arm. Aleister’s feet left the ground and he groaned in pain, trying to use his good arm to push himself off. Behind him Sally was on the ground, her mouth ripped wide open in a silent scream.

“Right. This was fun. I fulfilled your wish. You’re welcome.”

With that the shadow flung his arm to the left, launching Aleister against the wall. The man collided with the ground and this time he did not get up.  
This time. Sean was faster this time. He did not think this time. Without another moment of hesitation, his hands and feet moved. They moved not as fast as the shadow but the beast was still drunk on his triumph over Aleister.  
However, then the creature paused. The shadow looked down as Sean’s knife pierced his stomach. His leg. Arm. Stomach. Side. Heart. Stomach. Stomach. Stomach.  
Sean tumbled back. His knife blackened as well as his face and fingers. An absurd thought crossed his terrified mind. Did that shape of darkness even have organs?  
The shadow stood and looked down on him silently. Before Sean could panic however, the creature collapsed. He dissolved into a pile of black sand and smoothly spread on the ground.

All that remained of the demon was a pile of dust.

Sean was breathing heavily, his chest heaving rapidly as he turned to look at Sally. Before he knew it Sean’s vision blurred and he felt tears run down his face. He choked down a sob and stumbled to his sister, clumsily wrapping his arms around her and holding her as tightly as he could.  
She shook along with him.  
“It’s okay. We are okay. We are good.”  
Sally started to laugh. It was not relieved, it was not happy. She always laughed when she was scared.   
She ran a finger through his hair. “You were really badass.”  
Now he had to laugh. He wiped his face and left a trail of snot and tears on his sleeve.  
Then shock shot through his body.  
“Aleister.”  
With that, both of them scrambled to their feet and rushed to the librarian’s side. Arms and legs stretched limply away from his body, his eyes closed, Aleister rested on the floor.   
Sean tried not to look too closely at the wound. He felt relieved that Sally was brave enough to go and check. Even from afar, he could see her hand shake as she rested it on the side of Aleister’s neck, pressed down on his chest.  
For a few seconds, there was complete silence in the library. The quiet deafened Sean and for a second he wondered if he had lost his hearing.  
But then Sally turned to look back at him.

“He’s dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one tough chapter to write. Fighting scenes are hard to portray and this was just a whole fighting chapter. I also think this is the only story I have ever written with the death of an important character so early on.

**Author's Note:**

> This story started out as an idea in my head, then turned into a D&D-esque game and finally became an actual story.
> 
> Big thanks go out to all of the lovely twins who inspired and shaped this story. Originally this was made to be a wholesome magic game. But together we created this story filled with plot twists, betrayal and chaos. Thank you so much for that


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